Hidden Feelings
by Kairiangel035
Summary: Cloud is Appointed as Yuna's guardian  and he isn't entirely thrilled about it. How will that change as he gets to know her better along her pilgrimage and starts to fall in love?  For my good friend Yunnie
1. Chapter 1  The new guardian

Hidden Feelings

_Chapter 1: The new guardian_

"From this day forth, you will be the summoners guardian and you will protect her with your life. Do you understand this?" A woman with long black hair that was pulled up in the back of her hair in three tiny braids. The woman had a modern day Gothic look with her make up and wore a long black dress that fit her figure maybe a little too well.

A man with blonde spiky hair stood across from her. He was in his early twenties and he wore a black high collar sleeveless shirt with black pants and boots. His glowing blue eyes stayed emotionless as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why do I have to be the one to do this Lulu?"

Lulu became quickly annoyed as this conversation started to go around in another circle for almost the hundredth time. "For the last time Cloud, you're the only one I trust to take care of her. You're strong enough, I trust you to keep her alive."

"I'm not strong enough to protect anybody." He argued, it was obvious that Cloud was dealing with a lot of pain and suffering with his past.

Lulu turned and started walking away as her brown eyes filled with anger. "You're her guardian for the last time, now go to her." Not only was she looking for a guardian that would protect the summoner which was almost like a younger sister to her, but she was hoping that the girl would open his heart a bit, make him let go of some of the pain.

Cloud sighed in defeat as he turned and left the tent. Outside, the villagers were crowded around a young woman no older than seventeen. She had brown hair that hung down just at her shoulder blades and wore a black spaghetti string camisole under a white sash that crossed over her chest and around her neck. Around her waist she wore a yellow flower printed obi and kimono sleeves on her arms. On the bottom she wore a blue plaited skirt with flower prints and black boots, she also wore an earring in her right ear that she kept covered with a lock of hair.

He waited in the background for a few minutes, waiting for the crowd to disperse before approaching her. "Are you Yuna?" he asked, his voice level and emotionless.

The woman looked at him and smiled a bit, "yes, I'm Yuna, who might you be?"

"Cloud." he simply stated.

"Oh." she gasped as she bowed and stood back up. "It's nice to finally meet you Cloud. It was very kind of you to offer to take me on my pilgrimage."

It was obvious that she had no clue Lulu had really forced him into being her guardian and it wasn't voluntary at all. "It's not much of a problem." he just answered, still no emotion in his voice.

Cloud felt something odd when he saw her blue and green eyes light up as if they were smiling. "Where did you come from Cloud? If you don't mind me asking that is." she blushed a little, afraid she was being rude or something. She was really curious about the man who showed up out of nowhere a little over a week ago.

"I'm from a place called Midgar, it's very different from this place." he answered as he turned away. "We should get going, we don't want to miss our ship."

Yuna seemed almost shocked. "You're right. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hold us up." she said as she quickly followed behind him. Cloud was shocked to see how polite and friendly the young woman was, but it was still nothing major. He didn't feel much for her, all he knew was to get her to her destination and back.

When they reached the dock Lulu was waiting for them. "This ship will lead you to Luca, from there the journey is on foot." She told Cloud before turning to Yuna. "Good luck Yuna, I'm really going to miss you." She said as she pulled the girl into a hug.

"I'll miss you too." Yuna said as she hugged back, smiling a bit as her eyes became a little wet. "Don't worry, I know Cloud will keep me safe the whole way until the end."

Lulu quickly brushed Yuna's hair back. "I know he will, I wouldn't let him take you if he wasn't going to."

With that both Yuna and Cloud bordered the ship. As the ship set sail, Yuna leaned over the edge and waved at Lulu until she couldn't she her anymore and her home was nothing more than a shadow in the distance. She sighed a little as she turned away and walked over to one of the benches near where Cloud was leaning against the wall. "I'm going to miss it." she muttered to herself but he managed to overhear her.

"Have you ever been away from home?" he asked, his head slightly tilted in her direction.

She shook her head. "No, this is my first time ever leaving."

He nodded and looked into her eyes, "Don't worry, you'll come back in no time." she didn't say anything after that for a while.

"Hey Cloud, did you have any friends where you're from?" she asked trying to start a conversation.

He was quiet for a minute before saying anything. "A few."

Yuna nodded and smiled a little, "What were they like?" his face stayed blank and he was silent for a while. "If you don't wanna talk about it we don't have too, I was just trying to start a conversation but it seems like this is a little personal."

He just nodded slightly, "Maybe someday I'll tell you about myself, but not today. I'd rather know you better first."

She smiled a little, "I understand." she said as she stood up and streched. "I'm going to go to bed now, goodnight."

"Night Yuna." he said as she walked down to the lower deck. Cloud then looked up at the stars as they passed by. _She's an interesting girl. _He thought to himself before heading downstairs to go to sleep as well.


	2. Chapter 2  Journey's start

_ Chapter 2: Journey's start_

"Isn't this place wonderful?" the summoner cooed in delight as she looked down at the at the bustling city below.

Cloud just nodded and looked at the girl, staying close to her side making sure nothing bad happened to her as he was instructed. To him this world was pretty much in the early days of living but that's what happens when you live in a world that doesn't believe in machines and technology because it's evil.

Yuna turned and smiled at him as the wind blew her hair and skirt back. "Can we go watch the blitz ball game?" she asked with full sincerity in her voice.

"Blitz ball?" he asked, his responses still short and emotionless. At least the summoner got points for getting more of a conversation out of him than anyone else.

She kind of gasped at his response but then smiled, folding her hands together below her stomach. "It's the biggest sport around Spira. It's a ball game that's played underwater and they use their hands and feet to score on the other team...I've never actually seen a game though. My friend Wakka plays for our islands team and I've seen him practice and he's told stories but that's it."

He just folded his hands over his chest and thought for a minute. He could never understand why Yuna's eyes filled with sadness whenever she talked about things she hadn't done yet, she could always come back and do these things. "I don't see why not." Cloud finally answered. They were making great time as it was. Along their way here they stopped at the Killika Islands where Sin had recently attacked and the summoner sent away their souls to something called the farplane. Afterward he had brought her to the temple where she played to god like people called the fayth to get her next summon. Sadly enough for him, he'd never seen a summon called. None of this made much sense to the new guardian, but it was his job till the end.

"Thank you very much." Yuna smiled as she bowed down before walking off again. Just like the gentleman he was, Cloud stayed close to her side and found a good spot for them to sit and watch the game in a huge dome stadium. It didn't take long for everything to get started once they were inside and the summoner was cheering the teams on.

Once things were heated up enough, the guardian let his eyes drift onto the girl beside him and all he could see was the replay from the night before. She was very mature when she found out about the attack and offered to do the sending so the victims' souls wouldn't become monsters. The most striking thing that got him though was how beautiful and graceful she was in the setting sun as she walked and danced on the water and the souls joined her dance as the spun around her. For an instant to him she was like an angel on earth.

"Are you enjoying it so far?" A gentle voice asked, breaking him from his train of thought.

He shook his dazedly as he looked over to see the summoners blue and green eyes on him as she tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "Oh yeah, it's something I've never seen before." he answered at last and she laughed a little.

Yuna positioned herself a so she could face him better, bringing herself slightly closer. "I guess you don't get taken off guard too often do you?" she asked.

"Why do you ask?" he asked her slightly confused.

She laughed a bit and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink "Its just that you didn't respond right away and when you did you seemed lost and confused. You must have been really into the game, I'm sorry. What were sports like where your from if you don't mind me asking."

"Oh it's okay, I don't really mind." He responded turning back to the game. "I wasn't really into sports much where I'm from. I was busy training to be a soldier."

"You must be pretty strong then." she smiled as she turned back to the water sphere.

Cloud nodded just a little. "You could say that." It wasn't long after that when a loud cry of terror filled the stadium and both of them stood up at the same time, looking around to see what was wrong. It was then that Cloud saw a dog like fiend charging right at them and tossing itself into the air. He quickly grabbed the summoners wrist and threw her back out of harms way as he drew his sword from its sheath and sliced the monster, turning it into dust.

The arena was in complete chaos at this point, people running and screaming to get out as fiends came pouring in. The guardian then released the summoners delicate wrist, taking a defensive position next to her. "Yuna get out of here, it's too dangerous now." He hissed as he saw the monsters drawing closer.

The girl shook her head in refusal as she drew her staff from her obi and held it in her hands ready to take on whatever came at her. "No, I want to stay here and fight with you. I can't let you do this alone."

"You have to go now!" he yelled as he sliced yet another fiend. "I'm the one who's supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around now go." he said sternly and the both turned to face each other, glaring into each others eyes as if having some type of silent argument.

"What if you die? What happens then Cloud?" the summoner asked finally, really sounding concerned and worried for her guardian.

He just sighed and placed one of his hands on her shoulder, "I won't die." he reassured.

She just looked into his blue eyes that just glowed with power for a few seconds before nodding and standing in a summoning positioned as symbols appeared under her. Within seconds a winged beast fell from the sky and landed next to her. The summoner quickly slid her staff into her obi and mounted the creature. "I'll see you soon, okay Cloud?" She said as the creature broke into a sprint.

"Meet me on the trail outside of town, I'll come find you when I'm done." He instructed and she gave him a quick nod before the creature launched into the air and flew off, with her along with it.

The guardian turned his attention to his enemies, clutching his rather large sword tightly in his hand and with a burst of energy he vanished into nothingness as he flew around the arena, quickly slashing the monsters as he went. The security came in at that moment and opened fired on the fiends and the monster redirected their attack onto them, scratching and biting whatever man the could get. Cloud quickly ran to the men and killed the remaining monsters.

"Thank you for helping us." One of the guards said as he helped his fallen friend to his feet. Cloud just nodded and turned around to walk away, thankful that there was only a few injuries in the violence.

Once he got out of the arena he broke into a sprint, his heart racing at the thought of getting back to his summoner. _"I'll be there soon, Yuna." _he thought to himself as he clutched his racing chest, wondering what was wrong with himself.


	3. Chapter 3  Feelings

_ Chapter 3: Feelings_

"Cloud, there you are. I was so worried!" Yuna cried out as she saw the blonde haired warrior step out onto the main road.

He nodded at her with the slightest smile. It felt good to know she was safe and he was back with her. "Where do we go to next summoner?"

She shook her head a little to clear her thoughts, she had been taken off guard by seeing a potential smile on his face. "From here we just walk down Mi'ihen Highroad to Mushroom Rock and from there its a straight shot to Djose Temple."

"Alright lets get going." her guardian said as he started walking forward down the Mi'ihen Highroad with her staying close to his side.

Beside the occasional fiend jumping out at them from time to time the walk to Mushroom Rock went pretty smoothly, they even found time to have a small conversation. "So...why did you decide to become a summoner?" Cloud finally asked as they neared Mushroom Rock.

"Umm..." Yuna said as she started to think about it. "It really hard to say since I made this decision back when I was seven but I believe it was a mix of a couple things. I'd have to say the main reason though is because my father was the summoner who defeated Sin before me, he was a great person and everyone was happy because he saved the world. I wanted to do the same and return the smiles to everyone's faces as well." She gave a sad laugh and Cloud just looked at her. "Is it okay if I ask you something? I've been curious about this since the first time we talked." he gave her a small nod , giving her permission to ask her question. Honestly he loved the sound of her voice, though he'd never admit it. "What's your home like...Midgar it was called I believe? You said it was a lot different from this place."

He again nodded and answered, "Midgar is a lot different from this place. We use a lot of machines there. It makes our lives comfortable and easier to live in some ways, like cars. Cars make it easier for us to get from place to place quickly."

"Did you have a car?" Yuna asked, very interested in what he had to say. She felt like he was starting to finally open up to her...well more than anyone else at least.

The soldier shook his head, "No I had a motorcycle. It's like a bike that drives itself." he explained, hoping she knew what a bike was at least. She nodded at him, letting him know that she knew what he was talking about. "My friend Zack was the one who got me interested in them."

"What was your friend like? Zack I mean." Yuna asked, trying to keep the conversation going since it was flowing so well.

Cloud became guarded one again and became quiet. "I don't want to talk about him."

"Oh..." she said. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked." she looked down looking a little guilty and sad and when he looked at her his heart gave a sharp squeeze, feeling horrible about making her sad. "What were you where you're from?" she finally asked after a couple minutes. "I mean were you like a hero or a bad guy? Things like that."

"To some I was a hero, to others I was a villain I suppose." he answered, when Yuna gave him an odd look of confusion he clarified. "There was this company where I'm from that was using the lifestream as an energy supply. Basically the lifestream is what makes everything live and grow, things like that. But as they used the lifestream live stopped forming, plants stopped growing, everything was going extinct, children stopped being born, things like that." he explained, "So a few other people and myself destroyed the company, but a lot of people were hurt and died in the process..."

She gave him a small smile. "I think you did the right thing." she encouraged.

"Tell me about your world." Cloud told her, he didn't know much about her world and it felt like he was about to tell his life story if this kept going.

"Well our world wasn't always like this. A thousand years ago people used machina all the time for just about everything. But then there was a war between Bevelle and Zanarkand, Bevelle using machina while Zanarkand used summoners, leaving Zanarkand in runs. When this happened the leader of Zanarkand, Yu Yevon and his daughter created Sin and destroyed Bevelle. From that day forth machina was forbidden in fear that it would create Sin faster." She told them as the reached Mushroom Rock.

Once there they saw a lot of warriors there gearing themselves and chocobos up for battle. "What's going on?" the guardian asked as he took in the sight.

The summoner shook her head, "I don't know honestly." as she answered her soldiers question an odd looking male with blue hair down to his shoulders and really odd bangs that spiked upward before falling in front of his face and two more points similar that stood on the side of his head caught sight of them. As he drew closer Cloud stiffened his position as he got a better look at the mans face, he had blue eyes and it looked as if there were veins running through his face, and his nails were long and pointy.

The soldier took a defensive stance as he reached back for his sword. "Don't worry young guardian, I'm not here to hurt anyone." the newcomer said in a soothing voice. Cloud slowly came out of his position as his stomach still did somersaults, every nerve in his body was screaming that he was dangerous. "I am Maester Seymour, you must be Lady Yuna I presume?" he asked as his eyes moved from Cloud to the smaller form next to him.

The summoner bowed kindly to him, "It's very nice to finally meet you Maester Seymour."

"No, the honor is all mine." The man known as Seymour said as he bowed back.

"What's going on here?" Yuna asked as she looked at the site once again.

"I'll tell you guys everything you need to know, follow me." He said as he turned to walk to the rest of the army as Cloud and Yuna followed in his footsteps. "This is the location of Sins next attack. We got a lot of people here to try and fight Sin off to try and stop him without the final summon." he said when they finally came to a stop in the middle of the rest of the crowd.

"But that's impossible." Yuna said taking a step or two closer to Seymour, causing Cloud to want nothing more than to just grab her and pull her away from Seymour. He knew there was more than just distrust there for the reason of wanting to keep his summoner away, he was also growing jealous of him gaining all of her attention, but mostly it was distrust.

"We can only try." The maester said with sincerity in his eyes. It wasn't long after that did the water grow dark and people where shouting out Sin as they charged in after it. Some of the spawns shot off Sin and onto the shore near Yuna and the others.

Cloud quickly drew his sword and started slashing through them like he had down back in Killika. "Keep Yuna safe, I'll take care of these guys." he instructed the one man he didn't trust as he charged into the battle.

"Cloud don't!" Yuna cried out but he was already nearing the water, too far for her voice to reach. All she could do was fold her hands together and hold them close to her as she watched her guardian take out Sin spawns left and right, slashing through them and casting some strong spells just to keep them away from her.

After a few minutes Seymour looked over, "It's time to bring out the heavy artillery." he instructed as a big machina weapon was reviled. There were a couple of people inside aiming the gun at Sin and charging up the weapon.

"Machina?" She questioned and looked back at Seymour, "But isn't if forbidden?"

"Yevon has made a few exceptions for the use of Machina, this is one of them." with those words the laser was fired towards Sin, but was deflected by a shield.

The summoner watched in horror as the energy built up and looked as if was about to explode. "Cloud run!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. The last thing she wanted to see was him die in a battle that wasn't even really his.

When he heard her voice cry out to him he stopped and looked up at the giant force field that was growing larger by the second. He was only able to take a couple of steps back when the shield exploded and the summoner covered her mouth in horror as the light swallowed him in. It took everything she had to not scream and cry, a summoner had to stay strong for everyone else. A few seconds later the guardian landed on the balls of his feet a few yards in front of the summoner before collapsing onto one of his knees. He was bleeding in various areas but he would live. "Are you alright?" Yuna asked as she ran to his side, relieved that he wasn't blown up in the explosion.

Cloud looked up to see Sin turning away as he wiped away the blood that was running under his eyes. Once he nodded the summoner used a spell that started to heal his wounds before joining Seymour in sending the souls of the people who had died in battle. As the soldier watched he couldn't help but admire her grace and beauty, but he also could feel sorrow for the people who had died. It made him think of his two friends he couldn't save because he wasn't strong enough and that made him worry about loosing Yuna as well. She could have easily died today like a lot of the people, or he could have died as well, leaving her to live with the guilt and sadness.

Once they finished up at Mushroom Rock, he led his summoner to Djose Temple and brought her through the trials. As he waited for her outside of the fayth's chamber he really had to think about his feelings for a minute. He knew he had a bond with Yuna, but not quite sure what it was yet. A part of him was saying it was love while another part said it was infatuation. Either way he didn't know what she felt toward him, making it seem more awkward. He didn't know if he should tell her or keep it to himself. The only thing he knew was that he would protect her with his life, not only through her journey, but always.


	4. Chapter 4  Problems

_ Chapter 4: Problems_

"What exactly is this place?" The blonde spiky haired man asked as he watched little orbs of colorful light flow around the water.

The brunette girl laughed a little as she placed a curled finger to her lips. "This place is the Moonflow." she smiled. "And those things right there are pyreflies." She said as she pointed to the glowing sphere.

"And what exactly is a pyrefly?" Cloud asked as he watched the orbs dance.

Yuna took a few steps forward. "Pyreflies are souls of the dead that float around and linger." she told him as a couple of them danced around her.

The guardian nearly blushed as she looked at the girl with spirits dancing around her. "I see." was all he said before turning away. "We better get moving, we don't want to miss our ride."

"Alright." The summoner called out to him before following close behind. She quickly caught up with him as they walked down the road and around the corner, only to send Cloud into a near shock.

"What the hell is that thing?" He asked as he caught sight of a giant blue elephant type thing that had a long curled trunk and the tail of a fish.

Yuna laughed as she recognized the creature from her past. "That's a shoopuf. We're going to ride it across the Moonflow, that's why there's a harness on it's back."

"Shoopuf huh?" was all he said.

"Yeah, it's a lot of fun. I only road it once but I enjoyed it, I hope you like it too." The summoner smiled as they walked to the loading dock.

In front of the loading dock there was a blue creature standing there. The man kind of looked like a frog when Cloud got a better look at him. "Ride ze shoopuf?"

"Yes." Yuna smiled at the creature.

"All aboard!" The creature then called out as he pulled a lever, lowering a basket down to their level. They both quickly stepped inside and closed the gate as the creature pulled the lever again and lifted them up to the basket on the shoopuf's back. Once they were on, the giant creature stepped into the deep water and started to carry them across the Moonflow.

After they rode in silence for a while Cloud finally asked. "What exactly was that thing back there?"

"Oh, that was a hypello!" She smiled. "They're really great workers, though that's all I've really ever seen them do. I wonder if they're happy?" she asked herself sounding almost depressed as she got lost in thought.

He nodded at her. "I'm sure the working ones are alright, they look like they belong in the water though."

The summoner smiled again as her guardian kept the conversation going, she always enjoyed having him talk. "They do, they're a lot faster in the water. Maybe they should start a blitzball team of their own!" she cheered.

Cloud laughed a bit at her enthusiasm, catching Yuna off guard. In fact he's been doing that to her a lot lately, as if he's slowly changing and warming up to her. "If they're that good in the water, wouldn't that be...cheating?" He teased her as his eyes lit up a bit with the new game he was playing.

She blushed a bit and became flustered. "Yes! But...uhh..." the soldier burst out into pure laughter at her reaction which made her more concerned for him but she laughed too, in fact as she thought this was the first time he ever let his walls down enough to laugh and tease.

Once they hit the shores of Guadosalam all the playfulness left Cloud's eyes as he became serious once more. "Ah Lady Yuna, I was wondering when we would meet again and here you are." A familiar voice called out, making the guardian want to grit his teeth together.

"Oh Maester Seymour." Yuna said in surprise as she bowed down respectfully. "What a surprise to see you here." It took everything the soldier had to not walk up and punch Seymour in the face. There was something he didn't like about him that's for sure.

The man just laughed a little, "You're in my territory. You both are just in time, I just got a meal put together. Your guardian is more than welcome to join."

The summoner bowed and smiled a bit. "That's really kind of you, we'd be happy to join you. I don't want to be rude or anything." she blushed a little, making Cloud want to kill the guy that much more.

They both joined Seymour in a meal that Cloud hated to admit, wasn't half bad. "May I speak to you in private for a minute Lady Yuna?" Seymour asked once they had finished and started for the stairs. The summoner nodded and willing followed behind as the soldiers eyes were locked on her. The two of them spoke in hushed tones so he couldn't hear anything that was said but he caught the last thing Yuna said.

"I'll have to think about it." were the hushed words whispered as they made their way back towards his direction. "Come take a walk with me." The summoner said as she held her hand out towards her guardian, which he took without hesitation.

"Where are we going?" he asked as she led him outside and up a bridge.

She smiled a bit. "The Farplane."

"Farplane?" he asked unsure what she meant.

She nodded as they stood outside a portal looking doorway with pyreflies coming out of it. "The Farplane is the place where all the spirits go after they have been sent. I need some advice from my father...who knows, maybe you'll see someone you lost."

Cloud shook his head. "I don't think so, I'm not from this world remember?" he said solemnly and Yuna could tell he had locked himself up again.

She bit her bottom lip for a second as she though. "It doesn't hurt to try." she told him as she led him through. Once on the other side she released his hand which they both couldn't admit they didn't want it to end. At first cloud was in shock at the sight. They were standing on a platform floating above a flowered ground and waterfalls as pyreflies danced everywhere. The summoner simply walked to one corner and focused hard as a figure appeared in front of her.

"Doesn't hurt to try." The soldier muttered to himself as he focused on the memory of his two best friends. Before long in front of him was the image of a girl with long twisted brunette hair pulled up in a bow wearing and ankle length pink dress that was slit in front up to her knees and a deep pink jacket over it. Next to her was a man with black spiked back hair wearing a uniform similar to his. She had been right, you could see the dead here. He smiled for a few minutes as the memory of his friends stood close together and waved at him.

"Your friends?" a voice called from behind him, breaking his concentration on his memory and making them disappear.

"Uh...yeah...well they were..." He stammered a bit as he rested his eyes toward the ground.

Yuna looked down to, feeling sad for him. "I'm sorry...I didn't know...I guess that's why you never wanted to talk about them." It was quiet for a moment before she looked back up and sighed. "I'm done here so I guess I'm going to head back. You could stay if you'd like..."

He instantly shook his head at her. "No, I'm going with you." he said as he led the way back to Seymour's house. "So what did that guy ask you earlier?" The guardian asked out of curiosity.

"Oh...uh..." she blushed a little. "He asked me to marry him."

Cloud looked stunned and surprised. They barely knew each other and he popped the question. That was bond to give him a no. "What did you say?"

"Well...I didn't give him an answer yet, but I think I'm going to say yes." She answered shyly as she turned away from him, not sure what to expect next.

His heart felt as if it had physically shattered. "What?" he choked out in a hurt whisper. "How could you say yes? You don't even know him!" He said getting louder and angrier with every word.

"I have my reasons, I thought you'd understand..." She said feeling her heart squeezing tightly in her chest.

He shook his head and took a deep breath. "I don't..." he said in a quiet bitter tone, which made it worse than if he was screaming at her.

"I see..." was all she managed to say when they reached Seymour's front door. Cloud didn't bother to look at her or her to-be husband. His body was shaking with hurt and betrayal.

"Have you come to an answer?" Seymour asked calmly.

Yuna sighed trying to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes. It wasn't fair for her to cry _she _had hurt _him, _not the other way around. "Yes, and I accept your offer."

Cloud could here the man give off a small laugh. "Very well then, I will escort you for the rest of your journey then. You are no longer needed and are free to do as you please." he spoke to the former guardian as he placed his hands on the summoners shoulders.

The soldier looked up at the girl he loved on last time as she placed her hands over her chest and a tear fell from her eye and onto the ground below as they turned and walked away.

Once they were gone it took all of Cloud's strength to keep from blacking out or collapsing to his knees. He took a few deep breaths and wiped away the moister from his face as he walked away, not sure where to go from there.

_**Authors Note: Sorry for the late update. I just finished moving so now I'm back. Hope this chapter makes up for the long wait! **_


	5. Chapter 5  Lost

_ Chapter 5: Lost_

"Now where the hell am I supposed to go?" Cloud asked himself as he walked slowly through the gloomy and wet Thunder Planes. Since Yuna had left him behind he had no reason for being there, his whole reason for ending up there was to protect her...and now she didn't need him anymore. The love of his life was about to get married to someone else and he didn't even know why.

The former guardian walked aimlessly through the mucky wetness, not caring about anything at this point. He would just follow the path in front of him that would lead him to nowhere. He had no way of going home, no one to protect, no purpose. It was a wonder why he was even still going. After forty minutes of aimless walking, Cloud sat down near one of the lightning rods letting the rain hit his skin, drenching whatever was dry, which wasn't much.

The soldier tilted his face up towards the sky and let the droplets wet his face as he thought about everything. It seemed like everyone he ever got close to he lost. It first started out with his best friend Zack who died three years ago saving him. Then came Aerith a few years later, the first girl he ever had any kind of feelings for and she died right in front of him. It took him some time but her eventually got over her and was able to get on with his life. But this, this was the worst pain he felt by far, he had learned to love and his dream girl got away.

When he closed his eyes he felt a few tears slip down his face as Yuna's angelic face filled his vision. His heart squeezed at the thought of even being able to meet a girl like that. Then Seymour clouded his vision and his body filled with burning hatred, it was his fault he lost her. Cloud sighed and stood up slowly as he realized there was nothing he could do now, even if he was going to stop this from happening he wouldn't even know where to find her.

With a heavy heart the ex-guardian finally made his way through the dark rainy Thunder Planes into a forest made with crystal. If he was in a better mood or with his summoner he may have found this place quite beautiful, but right now this place was just another stop on the way to nowhere. Cloud was able to walk for a couple hours before he laid down next to a spring to rest for a while. The area around him was peaceful with the moon above him and the crystals dimly lighting the area next to the calm body of water.

"This will have to do for now..." Cloud muttered to himself as he laid down near the water, stretching himself out on the bank and resting his head on his arm before finally closing his eyes.

"There you are." a familiar hazy female voice called out. Cloud opened his eyes to see he was back on the shores of Besaid where he first started his journey with her. "I've been looking everywhere for you and here you are snoozing down by the beach." The girl laughed as she came into view. The soldier eyes opened surprised to see Yuna standing there before him, just as he remembered.

"Yuna what are you doing here? I thought you went off to marry Seymour..." he said as his voice trailed off as he sat up, not wanting to remember what had taken place earlier.

The summoner just smiled kindly and sat down next to him. "Who's Seymour?" She asked confused through a giggle. "We've been here our whole lives, don't you remember Cloud?"

He just looked at the girl he loved with a confused expression. "Uhh..." was the only thing he was able to say before his words were cut off by laughter.

"You must have been having an odd dream Cloud. We've always been here, what's next are you going to tell us we're not married." her laughter grew more intense as her eyes locked onto his with love and happiness filling them.

"Married..." the guardian muttered to himself in confusion. He was unsure at this point if this world was a dream or if the world where Yuna left him was a nightmare.

"Yes, of course married." she smiled. "We got married because I love you and we were always meant to be together." The summoner then moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest near his neck and shoulder and closed her eyes. Cloud couldn't help but pull her closer to him and hold her tight. He then pressed his face into her hair and closed his eyes, wanting to stay in this moment forever where everything was simple and easy. This is what his life should have been like, this is how it was meant to be, just like Yuna had said.

But now he knew for sure that this world wasn't real. He never married the summoner and they didn't live on an island happily ever after, he hadn't known her his whole life. He ended up in her world wanting nothing more than to get out, then he ended up guiding her through some journey to defeat sin and bring the world peace, he never meant to fall in love with her but he did, and now she was gone.

Cloud's eyes shot open as he quickly sat up. He was back in the Macalania Woods where he had fallen asleep surrounded by crystals and a spring. The only thing that had changed was there was a dim gray glow above him where the sun was shining down. As he looked around his heart started to race inside his chest, it was more alive then he had ever felt in a long while. He then stood up and grabbed his sword from the spot he was resting and started running. The soldier was determined now, he was going to find Yuna and stop the wedding no matter what, he was going to get her back.

The determination burned through him and he made it out of the woods in record time and ended up in a frozen tundra. Surprisingly he wasn't alone in this area, in front of a building there was a pudgy man wearing orange Capri pants with tie up sandals, an orange shirt that covered his chest but exposed his stomach with a blue t-shirt like jacket, yellow gloves and a sack. As Cloud got closer to him, he could see his orange hair was covered with a small black hat.

"Have you seen a summoner by the name of Yuna go by here by any chance?" The soldier asked when he approached the man.

The man jumped when he heard the voice, being caught of guard by the question. "Oh yes I've seen Lady Yuna. She just finished up at the Macalania temple. Would you happen to be a friend of hers?"

Cloud nodded, "I'm her guardian, now can you tell me where she's heading."

The man chuckled to himself a bit, "Oh why yes, her and Maester Seymour were on their way to Bevelle to be married. I thought everyone knew of their wedding." as these words reached the guardian's ears he couldn't help but look a little frustrated. "If your in a hurry, I do have this snowmobile you can use to get you through Macalania a bit faster.

Cloud looked at the man a bit confused. "But I thought..."

"Machina is forbidden, yes this is true but if you know how to get away with it, it will come in handy." The man laughed as he led the soldier to the vehicle and gave him the keys. "Now have a safe trip."

"Thank you uh..."

"The name's O'aka XXIII" he smiled at Cloud as he started the snowmobile.

"Here's ten-thousand gil for your trouble." The guardian said tossing the man a pouch as he quickly sped off through the frozen tundra to find Yuna.

_Authors Note: Yay I finally updated the story. Sorry for the super late update but I've had a major block since I moved into a new house but I finally know how I'm going to finish the story up so hopefully the updates won't take too long now. WEDDING NEXT CHAPTER! _


	6. Chapter 6  Wedding Crasher

_ Chapter 6: Wedding Crasher_

"Damn this is going to be a close one." Cloud Cursed at himself as he almost in a literal sense burst through the gates to the city of Bevelle.

The trip had taken him a lot longer than he had ever expected it would have. After he sped through the frozen tundra of Macalania he came across a desert, so that automatically rendered his snowmobile useless. He had spent at least an hour aimlessly walking through a desert that he never even heard of until his body succumbed to the heat and lost consciousness. Even to this moment he couldn't tell you how long he was out but he knew he had to have fainted near civilization.

"Oh goodie, looks like you finally woke up." he remembered a girl saying when he finally woke up, and oddly enough he felt a floating sensation even though he was laying on the ground.

The soldier looked around until he saw a girl kneeling over him, startling a bit and causing him to nearly jump up. The girl had blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail in the back and two braids fell forward with feather on the end. She was cute and looked around Yuna's age, but what stood out the most about her was her green eyes that had pupils unlike anyone else...they swirled into her iris. "W-where exactly am I?" The soldier asked as he slowly sat up.

"On an airship of course. You're very lucky that I found you, ya know?" she said bouncily as she studied the knew man. "You were right outside our home. I found you and brought you in here before it was all blown up." she looked down sadly as she talked about her home getting destroyed but then her spirits quickly returned. "I'm Rikku by the way, and you are?"

The soldier looked up and the bouncy female and lifelessly said, "Cloud."

The girl stood up quickly and stretched. "It's nice to meet you Cloud. What were you doing out in the middle of the desert anyway? Don't you know it's dangerous out there?"

"I was trying to get somewhere." He answered coolly as he stretched on of his legs out and brought the other one to his chest and bent it, resting his arm on his knee.

The girl gave a small bounce and smiled, "Where were you going? We can take you there in a jiffy!"

The soldier studied the girl for a second, wondering how such a tiny thing could have so much energy. "Bevelle, there's someone I'm looking for there."

"Alright I"ll have them set a course for Bevelle and we'll be there in no time!" Rikku danced as she pulled out a small radio and quickly spat out some words in a language Cloud couldn't understand. "So who are you looking for? Is it someone special." the energetic girl interrogated once she was off the radio.

"I suppose you could say that. Her name's Yuna." was the only thing he said, keeping his answer short.

Rikku gasped and clasped her hands together giving a small jump. "You know Yunie?" she cheered. "She's my cousin. I hope you find her." She smiled as she turned and nearly ran out of the room.

"What a bizarre girl." Cloud muttered to himself when she was gone.

It wasn't long after that confrontation that the soldier was literally dropped in front of Bevelle. Now that he was inside the near vacant city, he had to figure out where the wedding would be, if it already wasn't too late. As he walked along the empty streets he couldn't help but ask himself why it was so deserted when this city was huge. Finally after ten minutes of walking around he found a teen quickly running in the street.

"Hey can I ask you something?" Cloud called out before the boy could get away.

The teen stopped in mid stride and looked at the soldier. "Sure, what can I help you with?" he asked as he took a few steps closer to the soldier.

The blonde man did another sweep of the streets before asking, "Where exactly is everybody?"

The teen smiled a little, "At lady Yuna's and Maester Seymour's wedding of course. It's on the roof of the chapel." he said as he pointed to a tall white building a couple hundred feet away.

"Thanks." Cloud said as he ran as fast as he feet could carry him and busted the door in. he didn't waste any time climbing the thirty story high stair case that led to the roof. Once he made it to the top he could see at the opposite end Yuna and Seymour standing in front of each other while a preacher was giving instructions. Even as far away as he was, the soldier could tell the summoner was not happy with what she was about to do as Seymour wore a big cocky grin. Cloud then started marching towards what could be considered the alter. Luckily for the soldier he came within ear shot of the preacher as he spoke the lines "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I object." The soldier spoke calmly but loudly enough for everyone in the place to hear as he kept walking towards Yuna, ignoring everyone else.

The summoner quickly turned and a smile spread across her lips as she saw her guardian once again. "Cloud!" she called out and ran to him, getting away from Seymour before he could catch her. Once she was within arms reach of her guardian she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace. Cloud hugged her back and stroked her soft hair which was now tied back.

"It's good to see you again, now let's get you out of here." he whispered to the summoner as he held her close. Unfortunately things didn't want to work in his favor and there was multiple sounds of guns being loaded. He quickly released Yuna and went to reach for his buster sword when he heard a clicking sound right next to his ear.

"Don't move" the voice threatened. The soldier then moved his hands to a surrendering position.

"Shoot him and I jump." an all to familiar voice called out to him. He quickly spun around to see Yuna standing on the ledge and he had to do a double take in wonder of how she managed to get away.

Seymour slowly started walking to the summoner laughing. "You don't have what it takes to jump." he told her as he reached out a hand to her.

"Don't do it!" Cloud yelled at her.

The summoner turned and smiled at him "Just trust me, I'll be alright." she said as she leaned back and fell off the roof. The soldier gasped in horror and Seymour ran to the ledge where the summoner was standing seconds ago. It only took several seconds before there was a blinding light that caught the guardians attention and he looked down. Something quickly shot out of the sky and caught Yuna long before she came near the ground and she was lifted to safety.

Cloud didn't have a moment to feel relieved about her safety. Once she was gone he heard the sound of rifles clicking as at least fifteen soldiers surrounded him. The guardian sighed, drew out his sword and quickly looked around to get an idea where the soldiers were located. When he had everyone's location in mind his body started to glow blew as he flicked his sword and multiple blades shot out and a blade hovered behind every soldier. As the troops looked around to see what was going on, the guardian started telephoning to every blade and came crashing down on the soldiers, making quick work of them.

Seymour became outraged watching the slaughter and he marched toward Cloud. The soldier saw Seymour coming his way so he ran to the ledge closet to him looking for a quick get away. He then saw a sturdy rope above him which connected from one building to another. He gripped the rope tightly and cut it, which sent him sailing through the skies of Bevelle and to safety.

Once he was out of harms way he started walking the streets trying to find Yuna. A memory came back to him to the day where he looked at the map showing the locations of all the temples, which one was located right in the heart of Bevelle. Cloud started running, now knowing where Yuna was waiting for him.

_Authors Note: Yay another update finally! It's so hard to keep this updated being my senior year of high school, they give too much work. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll hopefully update soon. _


	7. Chapter 7  Prisoners

_ Chapter 7: Prisoners_

It took Cloud a lot longer to get to the temple then he wished it would. The worst part was getting down that tall building with guards chasing him down the whole way, but he finally lost them in the city. It was just too big for anyone to keep site of anything. Once it the city it was a lot harder to find the temple then he thought it would be, but he found it hidden amongst the tall buildings surrounding it.

The guardian was surprised about the layout of this temple, it was different then all the other ones he had been to. Instead of going upstairs, the cloister of trials went down underground, which was the reason why the temple was so small. The most surprising part to the soldier was all the machina that was hidden in the temple, in a world where such creation was a sin. All he could do was take off running to where the summoner would be, she must be shocked by seeing a temple that went against her own religion and everything she was taught to believe in.

Finally Cloud reached the chamber where Yuna would pray to the fayth to get her aeons to see her passed up, curled up in a small ball in her wedding dress. The soldier crouched down next to the summoner and brushed her sweat drenched hair out of your face. "Lets get you out of here." he whispered to the unconscious girl as he easily lifted her up and cradled her against his chest and walked out.

Everything was peaceful for the soldier, for once in his life he felt like he was at peace. It was just him and the girl of his dreams asleep in his arms. But sadly this illusion of happiness that he created around himself couldn't last. By the time Cloud reached the top of the stairs there was hundreds of echoed sounds of guns being loaded and ready to fire. He came back to reality to see Seymour and an army of soldiers pointing guns right at him.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" The soldier said with a bitter tone in his voice. He didn't like the fact that guns were being pointed at him, but mostly at the summoner who was in a state where she couldn't defend herself. If it was just him he would take them out in a matter of seconds, but it wasn't just him and he had someone else he needed to worry about.

Seymour took a step forward, a coy bitter smile plastered on his face. "You guys are under arrest for the betrayal of Yevon." he simply stated.

Cloud ground his teeth in anger, doing everything it took not to throw Yuna down and beat the living daylights out of the blue haired guado. "Where is your proof?" he demanded sounding strict and raising his voice, just barely below shouting. "You guys are the ones who betrayed Yevon. Look at this temple full of machina, isn't that against everything you were taught?"

The guado just smiled at the angry soldier. "There are many things you don't understand. You are not from this world, you don't belong here." then he snapped his long pointy fingers. "Take them away." he commanded

Yuna's eyes fluttered open then and she looked up at the man holding her, his face hard with anger, every muscle in his body stiff. "Cloud?" she asked, her voice still filled with grogginess. "Cloud what's wrong?" she pleaded this time, wanting to know what could be bothering her guardian.

Just then she felt herself get forcefully ripped out of his arms and restrained, her arms forced behind her back. The summoner struggled with all her strength and managed to get an arm free. "Cloud!" she shouted trying to throw herself forward as she reached out her free hand towards the blond. He just looked at her apologetically as they were dragged off in separate directions. The brunette could feel tears sting the edge of her eyes as her guardian was walked out of the room.

"How lovely it is to see you again my wife." Seymour chuckled as he walked up and stroked the summoners cheek. "I have a special treat for you." he said as he looked at the guards to signal them to take her away as well. "Off to the Via Purifico with you and your guardian."

Cloud hated himself for getting dragged off like that. He would have fought off everyone if he could have, but he couldn't. Yuna had been caught and they would have used her against him if he even tried to raise his sword up to him and Seymour knew it. The soldiers had led him down into an underground waterway known as the Via Purifico, an underground prison for prisoners such as him.

"Keep walking." one of the soldiers said as he slammed the butt of his gun into the guardian's spine when he took a momentary pause.

"Oh, I'll walk alright." Cloud muttered to himself as his hand reached behind his back and drew out his sword.

One of the soldiers further back caught sight of him as he drew his sword and quickly raised his gun. "Hey stop! Put your hand down!" he threatened, but it was too late. He already had his sword in hand and he quickly spun around with the blade, taking out all soldiers around him. Then he charged and started slicing his way through the crowd of soldiers, killing them off one by one as guns and blood started flying through the air.

The soldier cleared the room withing two minutes and put his sword back in it's rightful place and kept on running. He had to find Yuna as quickly as possible and get out of this hell hole.

"You'll be right at home here." Seymour said as the soldier released Yuna's arm and forcefully threw her down on the hard wet brick floor. The guado threw the summoner a change of her regular clothes and started to walk away. "Enjoy spending the rest of your days down here wife." he laughed as he slammed the gate shut behind him.

The brunette started to shake as she slipped out of her wedding dress and back into her normal clothes. She was in shock from everything that had happened in the past few hours alone. She got married to a man she didn't even love because she knew a terrible secret about him. He was dead and she found it her duty to make sure he was finished off, but it all backfired in her face, getting her and Cloud almost killed. Then the temple in Bevelle was home to machina, the very thing that Yevon said was evil and brought Sin back. She was so shaken up by this she didn't know what to believe anymore. Was everything she was ever told a lie? And now, she has been locked up underground, away from everyone and the very man she loved to die alone within a couple weeks.

She could feel tears coming back into her eyes again but she shook them away. She couldn't cry now, she had to make use of the time she had and find a way to get out of here. Yuna took a deep breath and closed her eyes to calm down. When she reopened them she took a look around the room and noticed there was a small gap between the floor and the gate, if she stayed low to the ground she could squeeze through and escape. A small smile crossed the summoners lips as she crawled across the floor, over to the gap. Tilting her head to the side she managed to slide it through the space and she used her arms to push the rest of her body forward, everything sliding through easily. Without hesitation Yuna got back up on her feet and started running down the same way she was led down not to long ago.

The summoner made it pretty far up before she was surrounded by soldiers. They all pointed guns at her and she gasped and took a couple steps back. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard the distinct sound of the gun getting ready to fire. She had no idea how to fight or what to do so she reached back for her staff and held it close. "Stay back!" she commanded, feeling stronger than she felt. One of the men stepped forward and Yuna's grip tightened on the staff. There was a bright flash of light and weird symbols appeared around Yuna's feet. Within seconds A big black monster with large wings and sharp claws appeared next her her. "Bahamut attack them!" she commanded loud and strong. The beast listened to her command and a orb of light started to form in it's mouth and it shot out at the soldiers, creating a large blast and killing them instantly.

Once the area was cleared the summoner ran forward, Bahamut staying close behind her. The brunette was close to the entrance when she collided hard into something and fell to the ground. Bahamut stayed within fifty feet of her waiting for a command to strike. She trembled a little as she reached for her staff and noticed that a gloved hand already had it and it was held out to her. "Cloud?" she gasped realizing what she had just run into. He was standing over her with a calm look on his face, waiting for her to take her weapon back. Yuna pushed herself back on her feet and took her staff back as she dismissed her aeon.

"Are you alright?" The guardian asked as the summoner readjusted herself. Her body was covered in a thin layer of sweat and she had a couple of scratches on her body.

She gave him a slight nod, "Yeah I'm doing just fine, what about you?"

"I'm fine but we need to keep moving." he said with command in his voice. He grabbed her hand a little roughly and started dragging her along towards the entrance. The summoner was surprised by the way he was acting, but not afraid, in fact she felt rather safe with him.

Both the summoner and the soldier kept on running until they were withing twenty feet of the entrance when they were stopped suddenly by the sight of Seymour and a couple of soldiers, causing Cloud to jerk both of them to a half.

"Trying to escape are we?" The guado said sounding a bit bitter. "I'm sorry to burst your bubbles but nobody's leaving here alive." he said as he arm started to glow black and a behemoth jumped out of the ground only a few feet in front of them.

Cloud threw an arm in a protective defense in front of Yuna while he gave Seymour a death glare.

The summoner gave out a loud gasp and brought her hands to her mouth in shock. "A fiend? But how? That's just impossible." she whispered to herself in disbelief as another part of her world became undone.

The soldier could feel Yuna's hope and happiness starting to fade. "I don't have time for you." Cloud said as a small orb of red started glowing in his arm and then consuming the entire length of it. In a swift movement he flicked his arm in the directing of the fiend and Seymour, killing the monster instantly and throwing the guado back. He then grabbed the girls arm and started dragging her along. Once they were at the door, Seymour reached out to catch Cloud's arm to stop them from leaving, only to have the soldier throw his arm back and right into the guado's nose, causing it to break with a loud crunch sound and blood flowing afterward.

Both Yuna and Cloud kept on running forward for a while, not bothering to see if anyone was following them. They made it a couple of miles before they stopped momentarily. "Where are we going next Yuna?" the soldier asked the girl who's once lively eyes now looked dead.

"I have a place I want to go back and see one more time before we go any further. Is that alright with you?" she asked barely looking him in the eyes, her voice filled with sadness.

Cloud couldn't think of anything to say, so he just gave a nod and wrapped an arm around the summoner as she led the way.

_**Authors Note: Ugh another long update. Sorry guys I'm not trying to make you guys wait so long. So I'm guessing there's about another 3 to 4 chapters left. I hope you guys are enjoying it so far and I'm hoping to finish this as soon as I can. I really do hate myself for taking so long, but I promise I will finish this story up as soon as I can. **_


	8. Chapter 8 Fated Souls

_ Chapter 8: Fated Souls _

It took a while to get there, but they were at the place Yuna wanted to be. The Macalania woods, a place that filled the summoners mind with wonder, a place of a hurtful memory for the soldier. Cloud remembered he had fallen asleep here when he was depressed when Yuna had run off to get married to Seymour.

The summoner looked at her guardian, her eyes feeling warm with moisture as she fought to keep from crying. "I'm gonna go to the lake by myself for a moment if that's alright." she said as she gently wiggled out of Cloud's grasp. Before he could protest or say otherwise, she ran off, the sobs finally taking over her body.

Once in the small lake Yuna started to float on her back at the tears ran off her cheeks and met with the water. The stars in the sky and the crystals that surrounded her put her mind at ease with their peaceful beauty that had caught her eye the first time she passed through, but never got to enjoy. Another sob shook her body and she fought to keep floating as she realized that she didn't have much time to enjoy things like this again. She was going to die soon, die to save everyone. She knew that, every step, every temple, every passing moment brought her closer to her end.

The summoner hated herself for being sad over something like this. She had made her choice a long time ago to save the world even though it meant costing her her life, and the life of her guardian. She gasped as she realized she never told Cloud what would happen to him. She never told him about the final summon, or how sin was defeated. The guilt took over then and she stood up and looked down at the water, allowing herself to let all her sorrow go.

The solider slowly made his way into the lake silently and quickly made his way over to where Yuna was standing, shaking as she cried. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice was gentle in the dead quiet of the night.

Yuna gasped and looked up at the unexpected sound, seeing the blonde man making his way toward her, concern clearly on his face. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm down and hide the fact that she was crying. But she had to face it, she had no idea how long he had been watching, so she knew that he had already seen her cry. Oh, I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't be crying like this. I have no reason to be sad." she stuttered as she tried to pull herself together and let out a fake laugh.

The guardian shook his head as he stood no more than three feet from her. "No, it's okay to be sad, I just want to know what's causing you all this pain." he comforted, keeping his voice low and sweet.

The brunette just looked up at him through blurred vision. The concern that painted his face and how his hands were stiff at his sides, as if he wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold her and take the pain away. "Its just that...I don't want to continue this pilgrimage anymore!" she said as she choked around a sob that she fought to suppress.

Cloud watched as he body violently shook and a hand shot out to hold her arm. "Alright...then we'll stop right now. We can go back to Besaid, you can go home with all your friends, we don't have to do this if you don't want to." he comforted. He wasn't sure what to do, so he just said what felt right, what the right words would be to bring a smile back on her face. It killed him inside to watch her suffer.

Her eyes widened with shock as the man in front of her so easily agreed to what she wanted. "you're not going to try to stop me, tell me I should keep going?" her voice was small and weak. The man in front of her just shook her head. "But you don't even know why I want to..." she trailed off.

The soldier let out a small sigh and put both of his hands on her fragile shoulders and took a step forward, bringing him close enough to smell her floral perfume. "Everyone has reasons, you have a reason to stop. I'm not sure what exactly, but it's hurting you."

Yuna studied the warm kindness that filled Cloud's eyes. Something she had never seen before, it was a huge change from the cold distance that was in his eyes when he first became her guardian. It was that look in that moment that broke her. This was the reason she didn't want to go on, it was because of him. She had fallen in love with the man in front of her, that had changed so much since starting out on the pilgrimage. She had been through so much with him, they had grown close. Just knowing that they could have been something caused her to give up. She couldn't make him suffer a fate worse than death, and she didn't want to die knowing that. Just this once she wanted to be selfish.

Tears burned her cheeks as they ran quickly down her face. "I'm gonna die, and you're going to become sin." she cried as she collapsed into the soldier's broad chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her to keep her balanced so she wouldn't fall under the water. "When we get to Zanarkand...you'll become my final aeon and when I summon you, you'll kill Sin and I'll die."

It stayed silent for a moment, the only sound the summoner could her was Cloud's heart inside his chest. The sound calmed her, but she was afraid of what was running through his head right now. "Then we'll find a different way." his voice rang out, sounding so matter-of-factually and confident, as if he was sure he could save her.

"How can you be sure?" she gasped trying to take a step back to examine his face, but his arms tightened around her, keeping her body close to his.

There was another long pause before there was an answer. "Because, I'm determined to do whatever it takes to keep you alive. I love you Yuna and I'll be damned if I let you die like that!" his voice was so strong, so full of love and determination that it made the summoners heart skip a couple of beats.

The young brunette was at a loss for words, her guardian had just said those three words that would melt her world. The three words that she had known for a long time were true, but was dying to hear. "I love you too, Cloud." she whispered as she felt a slight pressure on the top of her head. She could feel her cheeks become heated as the pressure moved from her head to her jaw line and his lips traced down her face, planting little kisses on the way down.

She was then released enough so she could move back a bit as the blonde brought his hand under her chin and tilted her face up to his. Yuna felt her breath hitch in her throat as he slowly moved in. She closed her eyes and slowly rose herself up to meet him the rest of the way, their lips met, the touch light and gentle, as if both were unsure if that's what the other wanted. When they broke, Cloud studied the summoners face which was flushed, but a small gentle smiled crept upon her lips. She then moved closer to him and propped herself up, moving close to his lips again. The soldier Wrapped an arm around the small of her back and pulled her in tighter and kissed her lips again, this time with more force. She met his force equally and she parted her lips slightly, allowing Cloud to deepen the kiss.

All too soon the kiss ended as they broke for air, but the soldier kept the summoner close to him as they both took a moment to look up at the sky.

"It's a beautiful night out tonight." Yuna admired with a small smile. "I wish I could see more like it."

Cloud gave her a small squeeze and kissed her forehead. "You will, you'll be able to see thousands of nights like this." he promised. He then felt her head give a small nod on his chest. "We better get out of the water before you get sick." he pointed out as he took her hand and led her out of the water and back into the woods.

Once there Yuna gave a small nod and laid down on the ground where there was a break in the crystal trees, and she gazed up at the stars. The soldier laid down at her side and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. The summoner smiled a little and repositioned herself so her head was resting on his chest. "Thank you, for everything." she whispered through a yawn. Her eyes fluttered closed and she fell asleep quickly.

"Don't thank me." He responded mostly to himself as he held her tighter and closed his eyes. Both of them falling asleep under the clear starry sky together.

Day broke too soon for them as the sun broke through the trees, nearly blinding them. The summoner had laughed at Cloud as he groaned at the unexpected light. Once they were more awake and ready to go they made their way through the woods and found themselves in an empty plain in a matter of hours.

"What is this place?" The solider asked as he examined the long stretch of land filled with giant yellow birds.

The brunette smiled and took a few steps forward, taking the lead. "This is the Calm Lands, it's always so peaceful here. Sin never finds a reason to attack and everyone's so friendly. It really is one of the calmest places in Spira."

Cloud crossed his arms over his chest and examined the area. "I see, so beyond that pass is Mt. Gagazet I presume?" he questioned, motioning his head toward the rocky cliffs in the distance.

The woman nodded. "Yes, and then it's less than a days journey to Zanarkand from there." her voice grew quiet as her good mood started to fade.

The blonde picked up on this and took her hand and started walking her towards one of the giant birds. "Don't worry, I promise nothing bad won't happen to you." he soothed. "Hop on." he directed once they reached what he was after.

"We're gonna ride a chocobo?" she asked him, as she folded her hands in front of her chest and her eyes filled with excitement.

Seeing her so happy brought a smile on her guardian's face. "I don't see why not." he laughed as he held out his hand and helped her up on the chocobo as if she were a princess. He then jumped on in front of her as he took the reigns in his hands. "Hold on tightly."

Yuna wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and rested her head on his back. "Do you know how to ride one of these things?" she questioned.

He shook his head slightly in response. "Not really, but I did ride a motorcycle for a long time so it shouldn't be too difficult."

"Might I take a ride on a motorcycle one day?" Yuna asked, hope and excitement filling her voice.

Cloud nodded in response, happy that she was finally looking forward to the future and not convinced she was going to die in a couple of days. "Of course, once this is all over I'll take you for a ride to wherever you want to go. But right now we have a world to save." he said as he brushed his foot on the chocobo's side. The giant yellow bird gave off a loud chip before it sped off, causing Yuna to laugh at the sudden speed.

Cloud couldn't help but wonder what awaited for them just beyond that pass but he knew time was running short and he had to think of a way to save Yuna from her fate in Zanarkand, no matter what the cost.

_**Authors Note: Could it be...is there really an update? Why yes I finally have put an update up after who knows how long! So I finally got a laptop and it's set up and ready to go. I'm hoping to finish up this story as soon as possible. I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was just fluffy drabble. If all goes well there is only 2-3 chapters left, so lets see if I can finish this up in a month or so. Wouldn't that be nice to see how it ends instead of waiting forever to find out? **_


	9. Chapter 9  Lost Travelers

_Chapter 9: Lost Travelers_

Yuna shook violently in her sleep as her head rested on Cloud's back. They had been traveling up the path of Gagazet for a few hours, and were now on the descend down the mountain. In all honesty the guardian was quiet surprised at how the chocobo held up in these conditions...in fact, it was in much better shape then the summoner was. The blond was just hoping they'd reach the end soon before the girl turned into a human Popsicle on his back.

Almost three-fourths down the mountain, Cloud was certain that they'd make it down without any problems until the chocobo came to a screeching halt and let out one of the most painful cries known to man. The blond looked around shocked as he tried to figure out what could have stopped their ride so suddenly, and violently for that matter. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of blood and the bodies of blue giant like creatures that were part monster, part man. "What the hell happened here?" Cloud questioned as he led the frightened creature through a now, what seemed to be extinct, tribe of inelegant creatures.

"It's truly a pity, to see a whole entire race nearly wiped from existence isn't it?" a sharp painfully familiar voice said sounding almost sad, but had a hint of maliciousness to it.

He spun around to see the sight of a blue haired Guado standing there with an evil smile on his face, his hands covered in blood. Behind him stood a small group of Guado, their hands also stained red. "Seymour!" Cloud shouted horrified that anyone could do something. Then images started flashing through his head, of his friend Zack lying on the ground bleeding to death, and then quickly to a man with long silver hair, wearing the same smile that Seymour was wearing now. "How could you do something like this?" he yelled as he drew his sword and dismounted, being careful not to rouse Yuna.

Seymour just laughed hysterically. "Simple, you both ruined my plans, so call this my revenge if you will."

Cloud could feel his eyes widen and his jaw drop. How could someone be so sadistic? "You;d wipe out an entire race just to get back at her?" he asked, anger and rage filling his body. His hands gripped his sword tighter and he could hear the cocobo chirp in sadness behind him. Yuna still shivering fast asleep.

The Guado smiled and took a couple steps toward him, "Of course, a kind heart like that would crumble to see so many people that had lost their lives, but you of all people should know that."

That was the last straw. The soldier lost all self control and charged forward, planning on taking Seymour out in one blow. The Guado smiled and motioned his followers forward to do is fighting for him. Cloud was too angry to even care and just swung his blade at them, taking them out with such ease they might as well have just been standing targets. Blood stained the white snow below as Guado bodies fell to the ground. Unfortunately in the short moment it took him to rid of his enemies, Cloud lost sight of the person that mattered most in this battle.

"Seymour?" Cloud shouted turning his head left and right trying to find him again. Suddenly there was a dull pain tearing through his spine that grew in intensity quickly as he watched long sharp nail tear out from his chest. He was left gasping for air as the pain hit it's peak and the hand retracted from his body.

The soldiers body collapsed to the ground as he struggled for air, everything turning cold as his vision blurred. He could feel the hot liquid drip out from the wound and onto the snow below. The chocobo let out a cry of sadness as the soldier started to die. "No!" Yuna shrieked as she saw her guardian dying before her eyes. She stretched out her hand as to reach for him and suddenly there was a burst of light from her body that shot from the sky.

"Just...what..are..you?" Cloud managed to choke out with every ounce of strength he had, realizing Seymour was twice as strong as before.

Suddenly a giant figure appeared out behind the Guado as he raised his arms up. "I am Sin's chosen one."

Just then the sky lit up and a giant red feathered dragon charged down from the sky and struck Seymour, sending him flying at least twenty feet.

Cloud looked at the figure surprised as everything started to blur. "Valefore?" was all that he managed to get out before he lost consciousness.

Yuna jumped off the chocobo's back and held out some green looking grass. "Here you go, you're free to go. Thank you for your help." she told the bird as she stroked it's face and offered the plant for it to eat. The bird chirped as it ate the greens and ran away from all the suffering around it.

The summoner then turned her attention toward the man dying on the ground. She quickly ran and kneeled down at his side, taking his head into her lap. "Come on Cloud, you have to hold on." she begged as she pressed her hands over his chest to stop the bleeding. "Valefore, I need your help." she calmly said to her aeon. As if he knew what she was going to do, he brought his wing down as Yuna used all her strength to raise him onto the creatures back. Once the guardian was secure enough, she lifted herself on as well. "Get us off this mountain." she commanded and Valefore took to the sky.

It didn't take long for them to reach the ruins of a long forgotten city. The sun was setting in the horizon and the area was much warmer. Once Valefore found a good spot he slowly descended downward and helped the brunette help get the dying Cloud down. "Thank you for your help, I really needed you." she said as she dismissed her aeon and brought her full attention to Cloud.

"Now it's my turn to help you." She said sternly to the unconscious body and she brought her face down and kissed his forehead. She then straightened herself up and her body started to glow a gentle white as she focused all of her energy onto her guardian. "Heal!" she cried out as the energy left her body and entered Cloud. The gaping hole in his body began to repair itself as the skin pulled itself together, leaving a new layer of baby pink skin in place of the wound.

She sat there for a few minutes breathing heavily due to all the energy it took, but was more than glad to see he had healed and his breathing had returned to normal. Once her strength had returned, Yuna got up and set up a fire and waiting for Cloud to wake up. Once he was awake it wouldn't take them more than a couple hours to reach the temple.

Time seemed to pass slowly and Yuna lost herself in the glow of the fire, just thinking about how they were both gonna confront Sin without dying. After a while Yuna must have fallen asleep because she was awakened by a strong hand shaking her. "Yuna," she heard her name in a hushed whisper. Her eyes fluttered open as she saw blue eyes staring down at her.

"Cloud," she smiled up at him before bringing herself up enough to wrap her arms around his neck, bringing him in closer to her. "I'm glad you're alright, I thought I was gonna loose you for a moment." she smiled as tears brimmed her eyes.

The guardian wrapped his arms around her in return. "I know, I should have been more careful. He's a lot stronger now, I think he's somehow taken in Sin's power. We have to get rid of him before he can hurt more people." he said, still angry about what he had done.

Yuna felt a pang of guilt thinking about all the bodies that littered the mountain. All the Ronso she had left unsent to turn into fiends and harm who was left alive. "We'll reach the final temple soon, maybe Yunalesca will know a way to stop it."

Cloud shook his head, "No I have a bad feeling about all this summoning thing, I think this whole way of fighting Sin is a lie. If she's the one who creates the final aeon, there's no way she's going to let us get around. it."

Yuna sighed as she let go of Cloud, "It's worth a shot. If she doesn't help us and tries anything, we fight." she said sounding dead serious and focused, catching Cloud of guard.

"Lead the way anytime you're ready." he said, giving a small smile at her determination. She was showing a whole new side to her.

Within the hour they were up and traveling through the ruins. "This is Zanarkand, a city that was destroyed by Sin over a thousand years ago. People said it's because they relied to heavily on machina and turned away from their Gods. That's why machina is forbidden, it'll attract Sin. But the odd thing is, the Bevelle temple was full of machina...Yevon himself is breaking his own rules." she explained as she lost himself in thought.

"It's only more proof that everything they've been cramming down people's throats is a damn lie. You and I both know this by now." Cloud said taking the lead this time as the temple came in sight. He knew that Yuna's faith in Yevon was shaken but she carried on, not because of what she believed in, but because she wanted to do what was right and save everyone.

The summoner smiled as she took a couple steps forward to stand by her guardian, taking his hand in hers and holding it tight. "We're gonna find a new way, we'll change history and find a way to rid Sin of good without the final summoning."

It stayed silent for a moment but they both knew what she meant, they were going to find a way to do it without dying. The temple came into sight and the waited outside the door for a moment before walking in. "Are you ready?" the guardian asked as he opened the door leading to the final trials before reaching the chamber.

Yuna gave a sharp nod, a serious look crossing her face. "Ready as I'll ever be." she said.

Cloud then took her hand and they entered the trials and started heading toward their fate.

_**Authors Note: I am horrible at keeping this story up to date aren't I? I'm so sorry, I just get so busy lately I just end up putting it aside but on the bright side the final chapter is next, and it'll probably be a long one too. Who's excited? Anyway this chapter ended up being kind of short but...I think I did alright with it.**_


	10. Chapter 10  Final Showdown

_Chapter 10: Final Showdown_

Yuna came to stand on a platform that resembled the remains of a temple floating around in space. Cloud came in and stood by her side, taking in the sight of the stars all around them.

"So you've finally made it I see." A woman said as she started to materialize from the other side of the temple. She was a young looking woman, in her mid twenties, her long silver hair touching her feet and she wore nothing but her under garments.

Yuna bowed kindly at her, like she did to everyone she met on her travels, which kind of made Cloud sick to his stomach. "I have. I've traveled a long way on my pilgrimage to come and help Spira." she said as if she we're talking to royalty.  
The woman walked closer as she became more solid, "Ah yes, Lord Braska's daughter. Him and Sir Auron made this same travel ten years ago." She said as she recognized the young summoner, then glanced at her guardian. "I'm guessing this is the one who will be you're aeon to defeat sin?"

The guardian stiffened as the woman eyed him as if he was some kind of meal. "Actually, I have a question before I gain the final summoning." Yuna asked shyly, as if she was ashamed of the next words that were going to come out of her mouth.

The woman brought her attention back to the summoner, "Of course." She answered as if she was a mother trying to comfort a child.

"Yunalesca...if I were to summon the final aeon, would Sin just come back?" she asked solemnly, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, Sin would be reborn with time, just like it always does. The final summoning will become it's vessel to carry on it's business. Sin will never really go away, but you and your guardian's sacrifice will bring hope to the people of Spira. Just like your fathers and Auron's sacrifice did."

Cloud's stomach turned at the thought that Yuna's father died for pretty much nothing. "So, Summoners and guardians alike just throw their life away for a false hope, with a false promise that they can live without Sin. But within a few years he'll just come back. Where is the sense in that?" he said bitterly, finally getting the chance to throw everything he knew back in this woman's face. They already made the choice to do this without the final summoning. "Where I come from, we don't give false hope, or give people a false promise. When we want to protect those we care about, we see things through til the end!"

Yuna nodded in agreement, "This is why, I do not accept the final summoning. I will find my own way, without your help. I will save Spira, not on false hope though."

Yunalesca shook her head in sadness that the summoner had turned on her. "That's too bad. I'll save you though, I'll make sure you die with hope, rather than have you live in despair." Before anyone knew what she meant by that her hand started to glow as she threw some form of spell in their direction.

The guardian quickly tackled the summoner down to the ground as the attack barely missed both of them. He then jumped up and pulled out his sword in time to see Yunalesca form into a giant head that came out of the ground. "What the hell is that?" he shouted in shock.

The brunette then pulled herself up and pulled out her rod, ready to fight. "I don't know but we'll fight her together." she said, "Besides, we need to weaken her so I can send her."

The blond nodded as he pulled out his sword and ran at the head as he studied it's features. The head was three times the size of any human and had snakes for hair, snake like eyes and a forked tongue. As he charged Yunalesca's snakes shot out, hitting the ground near where he was standing. Cloud quickly stopped and jumped out of the way, swinging his sword in response. The sword collided with the snake, cutting it off, which caused Yunalesca to hiss in pain as another snake swung out and hit Cloud's side, throwing him back a few yards.

Yuna gasped and quickly flicked her wrist, causing a green light to glow around her guardian, healing all the injuries he had sustained during the fall. She then turned to look at the snake head in front of her and held her rod out in front of her as a light started shining from her body and it shot up in the sky, calling a large black dragon to her side. "Help us out Bahamut." She asked as the dragon took to the air and started taking in energy into it's mouth, hovering just above the head. "Cloud you have to get back here now!" The brunette shouted as she watched her aeon charge for a final attack.

The blond looked up as the area grew brighter. He then jumped up and dove toward where Yuna was standing and the sound of energy filled the area as Bahamut shut the beam out of his mouth. "Look out!" Yuna cried as the both hit the ground just in time as the explosion caused debris and rubble to fly everywhere.

A loud cry was heard by Yunalesca as the area grew brighter and died down. Both Cloud and Yuna looked over to see the older summoner back in her human form as pyreflies started dancing around her as her face showed sadness. She looked blankly up as her body started to fade. "Spira...is doomed..."

The guardian watched her fade and then shook his head, jumping back to his feet as he grabbed his summoner by the wrist. "We have to get moving." he said sternly as he dragged the brunnete close behind him. He then jumped onto the back of Bahumut, pulling the girl on behind him. "We have a world to save, and we're the only ones who can do it now." He leaned into the summon and prepared for it to take off. "Take us to Sin." was the only command needed and they took off and out of the temple, into the skies of Zanarkand.

Yuna held onto the soldier's back tightly, not being used to the speed and force of Bahumut's flying as the flew way beyond Zanarkand in only a few short moments. "I've never seen you like this before, what's with the certain determination?" she asked  
Cloud's eyes just stayed focused on the path ahead of them as a large object started to come into view in the sky above them. "I just have something to fight for. And I'm the only one who knows how to."

The brunette smiled brightly as her hair whipped around her face. "You've changed so much, it's unbelievable. Now, we're gonna save the world together." She laughed a little as the object came into view.

"Well, I have you to thank for that, you helped me pick up on things I was missing." His eyes never shifted from his target as the look of determination filled his eyes. Once the object he was going for was in range he started instructing the summon. "Alright, fire now!" he command.

Right on cue Bahumut sent a blast into Sin's side, causing the monster's mouth to open up and cry out in pain. Cloud took that opportunity to lead the summon right into mouth, heading right inside to find the source of the problem and defeat it where it stands. Once inside the monster's mouth, Yuna looked at the summon and gave it a little pat. "Thank you for your help" and with that her aeon was gone as they made their way forward.

Yuna looked around the area which looked almost like a giant temple inside. "It's odd, you think it'd be just like getting eaten, but instead we're walking around in a temple."

Cloud looked around too in wonder. How could a monster actually look like this inside. "it is odd, I guess Yu Yevons temple lives inside Sin itself." he pointed out taking in all the knowledge he gained on this journey.

"Sin has chosen me to be his successor." They both heard a voice call out in a cheerfully happy tone. As they looked over they saw a blue haired Guado standing before them, a smirk plastered against his face. "I have become the most power being in Spira."

"You?!" Cloud yelled in anger and frustration as he once again came face to face with his enemy. He drew his sword quickly as the Guado laughed psychotically.

Seymour just looked at them both and smirked. "I'm not one to die so easily." he gloated as he started to glow brightly.

The blond grabbed tightly onto his sword and charged at the Guado, hoping to finish this battle quickly. He swung his sword down as hard as he could once he was close enough, but instead of a dead on collision, the sword was stopped. Both men locked eyes for a brief second and then the soldier was thrown back. "What the hell?" he asked himself as he tried to get back to his feet. He then noticed a spectrum of colors floating around Seymour as the Guado started sending different spells in their direction. "Yuna get down now!" he shouted as a fire ball quickly charged toward the summoner.

The summoner quickly hit the ground just in the nick of time. The fire ball flew over where Yuna's head would have been. She then looked up to see Seymour's light was changing colors again as he prepared for another attack. "I get it now, he's all about magic!" she shouted toward Cloud, who had now pulled himself onto his knees. "I just have to cast the opposite spell as him at the right time and that should stop him."

Cloud took this in for a moment, realizing that the now spell casting Guado could deflect all physical attacks. He then put his sword away and sighed, realizing there was nothing he could do at this point. He then turned his head toward his summoner and nodded at her, "This fight is yours now."

The brunette nodded in response as she readied her staff and watched as Seymour started to glow a deep yellow. Her concentration deepened as she focused on what the blue haired man was doing as she charged her spell. "Here we go!" she said to herself as she called water out to her. A wave came out from the floor at her will and she led the mass of water right at the Guado.

Seymour's eyes widened as the water crashed into him with no time to move. Screams of agony could be heard as the lightning that built up in his body started shocking and burning him. Both Cloud and Yuna covered their eyes as sparks of electricity danced around in the blast of water. Once the screaming died down the brunette looked over to see the Guado still standing as pyreflies danced around him. She quickly readied her staff and started dancing around as Seymour started to fade away for good. "It's time for you to return to the farplane where you belong." she said as he finally vanished.

The brunette then turned her attention to the blond, their eyes meeting. "We have to keep moving, we have to stop Sin Before more people get hurt." She pleaded.

The soldier gave a sharp nod as he took her hand and they both started running through many corridors that finally let out to a large area, which looked like it would be a chamber that the summoner would pray in, if this had been an actual temple.

"I'm glad to see you again, Yuna. What has it been, at least ten years now?" A called from a distance. They both turned to see an older man in his mid forties wearing a red robe and dark clothing under it. Sunglasses covered his eyes as he came closer into view. He gave a small smile taking in the sight of the summoner. "look at you all grown up like this. I'm glad I got to see you one last time, you look just like your father."

Yuna bowed politely toward the man. "It's nice to see you again too, Sir Auron. Too bad we had to meet under these circumstances." she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Auron gave a bit of a smirk and walked towards both of them. "No, I'm actually glad that you came here to put an end to me, I can't hear Spira anymore, I've...disconnected to say the least." His eyes then Shifted towards Cloud. "You've found yourself a wonderful guardian Yuna." he said as he gave a sharp pat onto the soldiers back. "Thank you for taking care of her." he said to him as he backed away. "My times up, remember to stop me no matter what it takes Yuna. I won't be myself, also when I'm gone you need to act quickly. Yu Yevon will appear then, if you do it right, you come stop him right there."

"Sir Auron?" she asked in worry as his body started to glow and he turned into a giant fire titan."

Cloud quickly drew his sword and jumped in her way, "He's gone now Yuna, the Auron you once knew is no longer with us. Just an empty puppet of once was." he said as a giant fiery arm came crashing down towards them. The soldier jumped back as quickly as he could, loosing his footing at the force of the crash but quickly slashed one of the fingers off, causing the monster to cry out in pain.

Yuna followed her guardian's example and stood her rod straight up as she called out to one of her aeons for aid. Within seconds there was crystal ice around her as an icy blue woman answered her call and started freezing the flames that surrounded the monster in front of them. "Cloud, you should be able to climb on him now and stop him." She instructed as she took in the overgrown giant who was no longer burning.

The blond focused on the monster as he jumped up onto his arm and made a B-line straight for its head. Once he reached the top, he jumped up and focused all his energy into his sword as it started to glow blue. He then brought the sword down with all the force he could muster onto the giants head, causing a glass shattering sound as the monster started to vanish, leaving Cloud falling to the ground.

The brunette watched in horror as he fell faster and faster as she had no time to call an aeon to rescue him. She closed her eyes tightly as he neared the ground so she didn't have to watched the impact, but Cloud quickly flipped and landed on his feet perfectly. "You can open your eyes now" he chuckled a little once she opened her eyes to see him all in one piece.

They only had a brief moment to celebrate their victory before the area around them shifted completely and they were left standing in a white area. "What's going on?" Yuna asked as she looked around at the new surroundings. She then saw a beetle like creature come down, wearing the sign of Yevon on it. "It's Yevon!" She shouted as she readied herself for battle.

The soldier readied his sword once more as he threw himself towards Yuna's god, only leaving a minor scratch on it's body. "Dammit, this is going to take a lot longer than expected" he sighed in frustration.

The brunette stepped forward, wand in ready position. "Maybe not." She said as she casted a spell, causing a bunch of white light to float around the creatures body. Once cleared there were a lot more cracks along the God's body.

Cloud smiled a bit, realizing how much weaker it was now. "Looks like it's own magic is it's undoing." He smirked a little as he gave one last blow to the creature, causing a chunk of it's body to come off. "What?" the guardian asked in terror as Yevon, didn't vanish, but made it's way straight for Yuna instead. "Watch out!" he cried out as the God neared her.

Yuna's eyes focused onto Yevon. "No, I won't become you next vessel, I won't become Sin!" She shouted as she brought her rod down on her God with all the force she had in her body, completely shattering the staff, and destroying Yevon with it.

The soldier quickly made his way to the summoner and hugged her close, relieved she was alright. "You did it Yuna, you saved Spira." he whispered to her as he placed a soft kiss onto her forehead.

A smile spread across her lips as she realized she did it without sacrifice or dying, her and Cloud we're still standing and could go home. "I couldn't have done it without you, Cloud. You protected me and made sure I made it here alive. You gave me hope when I gave up on it, you pushed me and together we found a way to do it without having us die."

The blond pulled back to look at the summoners face, but was interrupted as the ground beneath them started to shake and vanished as they started falling out of the sky. Cloud held tightly to Yuna as the ground came closer with each passing second. "So, this is how we're gonna go out huh?" he said in a small state of shock.  
Yuna shook her head and smiled, "Just believe." She said as she pressed her lips roughly to Cloud's as they continued their decent. The blond closed his eyes and returned the kiss as he momentarily let himself forget where he was. The brunette's body started to fill with a warm sensation as she started to glow, calling Valefore to their rescue for what seems like the hundredth time now.

The aeon swooped down and gently caught both of their bodies, causing them both to laugh a little as it started soaring through the sky and victory cheers could be heard throughout Spira as they started heading home. "We saved the world..." Yuna smiled as the realization finally set in.

XxXxXx _1 week later _xXxXxX

"Spira, is safe from Sin once again. The eternal calm is upon us now, we can rest easy." A familiar brunette said as she stood in an area filled with everyone in Spira. "We may have lost homes, dreams and people. But together, we can rebuild Spira, with new homes and new dream. Also, we will set up a memorial just for the people who was lost in Sin's wrathe." she contunied on, feeling a pang of sadness for the people who would never come home to enjoy a world without fear.

The arena filled with cheers in light of the new future that was offered to them. Yuna looked behind her to get a comforting glance at her guardian who smiled at her and continued her on. "Never forget what we've lost, but never loose faith in a brighter tomorrow." She said as she turned and walked away from her adoring crowed as they gave one last final cheer for her.

"It's gonna take some time to rebuild your world." Cloud said as he followed Yuna out of the arena and onto the streets of Luca.

She turned around and gave her former guardian a small comforting smile, "It will but with you and the rest of Spira by my side, it won't take much time at all."

The blond just shook his head and smiled a little, "I suppose you're right. You gave them the hope to drive to rebuild all that was lost. They can continue on thanks to you."

The brunette just laughed a little, "It was because of you too." She said as she closed the distance between them and place a small kiss on his lips.

The soldier returned the kiss before breaking and taking her hand into his as they finished walking through the busy streets of Luca. "I only played a small part in it, this was all your doing. And as a reward, one day I'll bring you to my world, just so you can see where I come from." he promised as they reached their destination and he helped his girl onto Valefore's back.

"You really mean that? But how would that be possible?" She seemed surprised and confused all at once.

He just smiled as he jumped on as well. "I don't know yet, but I will find a way to show you. I somehow managed to get here, I'm sure there's a way back." and with that, they took to the skies to start building a brighter future for Spira.

_The End_

_**Authors Note: Oh my gosh, it took almost two years to write this story. I feel like a horrible person T.T But Anyway Yunie, I hope you enjoyed the story I tried so hard to create for you. Also Thank you to the reviewers and subscribers, that meant a lot to me and made a great reminder that I needed to keep going with this story...plus the fact of having an incomplete story would drive me crazy. I'm sorry this took so long to finish, I'm usually better at stuff like this. Also now that this story is finally complete I will be starting new projects, mostly one shots for a while so I don't have situations like this happen again. But thank you everyone for the support. Until next time Kairiangel035 out~**_


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